Throughout the pages of history, military traitors have been hated, yet their tales still capture the public imagination, as the idea of betraying one’s nation and former friends is hard to understand. The reasons behind such acts are always different; some are motivated by status, others by a thirst for revenge, and many by sheer ego. Despite their shift in loyalty, traitors often encounter little acceptance among their newfound allies, for their betrayal of their own kin shows they have the capacity to betray anyone.
Below is a list of the most notorious traitors in military history, starting with the era of the American Revolution.
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold is one of the biggest, most well-known military traitors on our list. He was a brave and brilliant officer in the Continental Army during the US Revolutionary War. After proving his worth on a number of occasions and receiving brutal injuries, he felt other officers were taking some of the credit for his achievements and being favored over him for promotions.
Even though he was highly trusted by George Washington, Arnold became disillusioned with his side of the war. He defected to the British in 1780, after offering to hand over West Point, in return for a position as a general in the British Army. The British never captured West Point, but Arnold did betray the Continental Army, fighting against those he once led as a brigadier general.
In the United States today, Benedict Arnold’s name is synonymous with the word “traitor.”
Alfred Redl
Alfred Redl, the second individual on our list of military history’s biggest traitors, was the head of the counterintelligence branch in the Austro-Hungarian Army, having pioneered counterespionage techniques. Between 1903-13, he secretly worked as a spy for the intelligence service of the Imperial Russian Army, using his position to hand over extremely valuable documents.
Over the course of his spying career, Redl gave the Russians the entire Austrian invasion plan for Serbia, military plans, doctrines, tactics and strength. He also used his position to provide the names of agents working as spies against Russia. Even worse, he sent some into Russia, only to then inform Russian authorities of their presence.
Redl is believed to be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Austrians during the First World War, and he’s thought to have been part of the reason behind Austria-Hungary’s poor military performance during the conflict. In 1913, he was outed as a spy using his own techniques, at which point he took his own life.
Mildred Gillars
Mildred Gillars, also known as “Axis Sally,” was among the American broadcasters who disseminated German propaganda during World War II. Originally from Portland, Maine, she relocated to Dresden in 1934 for music studies and later pursued a career as an English teacher. Her decision to become a propagandist upon the outbreak of hostilities in Europe came as a shock to her friends and family back home.
In 1940, Gillars started her broadcasting duties for German State Radio. Throughout the war, she ran three programs: the Home Sweet Home Hour, aimed at inducing homesickness among American troops; GI’s Letter-box and Medical Reports, which aimed to instill fear by reporting on battle injuries and fatalities; and Midge at the Mike, where she espoused anti-Semitic rhetoric, criticized US President Franklin Roosevelt and spread defeatist messages.
Gillars continued broadcasting until just two days before Germany’s surrender. Subsequently, her whereabouts were discovered, leading to her arrest in March 1946. Following a trial on eight counts of treason, she was convicted, sentenced to 10-30 years and fined $10,000.
She was granted parole in 1961.
Harold Cole
Harold Cole, characterized by his history of petty crimes, theft, and deceit, holds a place of infamy as one of Britain’s most notorious and important military turncoats. In the early stages of the Second World War, he collaborated with the French Resistance, helping soldiers and downed pilots get back to England through covert escape routes within German-occupied France. Although initially esteemed within this circle, Cole ultimately betrayed his comrades to the Gestapo in late 1941.
In a fateful act, Cole divulged the identities of 150 people involved in the escape networks or aiding the French Resistance. Tragically, around 50 of these individuals faced execution or perished in concentration camps.
Throughout the conflict, Cole found himself pursued by the British, German, and French authorities. His life met a violent end in 1946 during a shootout with French law enforcement, as he violently resisted arrest. He is now remembered as the “most selfish and callous traitors who ever served the enemy in time of war.”
Robert Hanssen
Described as “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history,” the actions of traitor Robert Hanssen are the most recent on our list. He was an FBI agent from 1976-2001, and spent most of that time selling top-secret information to the Soviet Union and, following its collapse, to the Russians.
Hanssen leaked information about American spy equipment, such as radar and spy satellites, and revealed the names of agents spying on the Soviets. He also informed the USSR about a highly-secret eavesdropping tunnel built beneath the Soviet Embassy by the FBI.
On one occasion, Hanssen was tasked with identifying a mole within the FBI. Unbeknownst to his superiors, the individual was actually himself, which made it easy for him to cover his tracks. He remained anonymous throughout his career, and it was only on February 18, 2001, after a long investigation, that the FBI discovered he was a spy and arrested him.
On June 5, 2023, Hanssen, then 79, was found unresponsive in his prison cell at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. He was later pronounced dead, with an autopsy determining his passing was the result of colon cancer.
Fritz Duquesne
Arguably the most unique military traitor on this list, Fritz Duquesne – better known as “The Duke” – was the leader of a German spy ring during the Second World War. A South African who’d fought for the Boers during the Second Boer War, he served as a secret agent for the Germans during both World Wars, conducting sabotage and gathering evidence in several Allied countries – in particular, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. He was also active in South America.
During the First World War, Duquesne operated a spy ring that targeted British merchant vessels in South America. Prior to the US entering World War II, he operated a spy ring on American soil, made up of 33 German agents. Their covert activities were later revealed to the US government by a double agent.
Throughout his life, Duquesne operated under several aliases and was arrested on numerous occasions, managing to escape from the majority of the facilities he was sent to. He also served as an adviser for US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt and found work in both the publishing and film industries.
Wang Jingwei
The final entry on our list of the biggest military traitors in history is Wang Jingwei, a leftist politician in pre-Communist China who often clashed with his rival, Chiang Kai-shek.
At the beginning of World War II, Wang made a deal with Japan to hand over Nanjing, in return for him being given a puppet government that would be run in collaboration with the Japanese Empire. He frequently spoke about his admiration of Japan, with his speeches often reaffirming China’s submission to its neighbor. He died just before the end of the conflict.
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Once Japan was defeated by the Allies, Chiang’s government returned to Nanjing, where they destroyed Wang’s tomb and burned his body. All that remains of the site is a tiny pavilion that informs all who visit that he was a traitor.